RUGBY: EK GEARING TOWARDS NEWSEASON
Allan Steel, East Kilbride Rugby Club’s head coach, will put his faith in youth this season as the Torrance House men gear up for the new campaign.
The club have been back training for the past month, but they are stepping up their preparations this week with their first match at a tournament in Livingston on Saturday.
Steel put his side through their paces in Calderglen over the weekend and he revealed EK reserve team graduates will be given their chance this term.
He said: “We are a wee bit behind where I wanted the squad to be because of some injury setbacks, but I’m pleased with the players we have.
“We’ll be bringing some of the younger ones through.
“Connor Wilson was excellent late on last season and he’ll be an important player. He’s versatile, so he can play back row or front row, while Grant Dryburgh, who had a couple of games last season, will come in across the back.
“Unfortunately, Kieran Noble, who we had in mind for blindside, has just broke his collar bone, so that’s disappointing for him. I hope he makes a speedy recovery and gets back later in the season.
“Paul Rosie hurt his knee in training and he’s waiting on a date for an operation now, so that’s going to be a major loss for us in the first few weeks of the season.”
EK kick-off their West Division One season on September 1 at home to Cambuslang and have a number of warm-up tests over the next few weeks.
Steel added:“We are playing in a tournament in Livingston this weekend, but I’m not expecting too much from the boys.
“It will just be a run out for them to get a bit of contact in and after that we are heading down to Blackpool for another tournament.
“That’s when we’ll start to work on things and how we want the team to play. All our focus has been on fitness and the boys have worked really hard. We are looking in good shape.”